Magic Fall Short on Shaq Night vs. Thunder

The Orlando Magic had all eyes on them tonight, but they couldn't beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jeremy Brener | Feb 13, 2024

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ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic are back in the loss column after a 127-113 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night at the Kia Center.

With the Magic on a national stage and Shaquille O'Neal in the building for his jersey retirement ceremony, Orlando couldn't get the job done.

The Magic started the game with a decent amount of energy, but once the second quarter began, the Thunder made their move.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Franz Wagner Thunder — Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City made the first basket in the second quarter and took a lead that they would never relinquish. Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were too much for the Magic to handle.

Gilgeous-Alexander added to his MVP campaign with a 32-point performance, while Williams played a key role with a game-high 33 points of his own.

For the Magic, Paolo Banchero notched a double-double with 23 points and 10 assists, while Wendell Carter Jr. was right behind him with 22.

The loss snaps a streak where the Magic have won five of six games, and it takes them out of the top six in the Eastern Conference standings, but they will have a chance to wash this game out with a strong performance tomorrow evening against the New York Knicks.

'Shaq Changes Your Life!' Says Magic Legend Dennis Scott

The Magic and Knicks are set to tip off tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET inside the Kia Center in the final game before the All-Star Break.

Published Feb 13, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.